The US says that the North Korean military killed while fighting with Ukraine

North Korean soldiers were killed in a battle with Ukrainian forces in Russia’s border region of the Kursk region, the United States said.

These will be the first reports of casualties since he appeared In October, North Korea sent about 10,000 troops to support Russia’s military operations.

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR reported that at least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded in fighting over the weekend.

The BBC has not independently verified the claims.

The North Korean troops, none of whom had any previous combat experience, are believed to have spent the first weeks of their deployment to Russia in training and then in support roles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Russia had begun using “significant numbers” in its attacks on Kursk, part of which Ukraine has occupied since then. the start of a surprise invasion in August.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the U.S. believes North Korean soldiers “took part in the Battle of Kursk alongside Russian forces” and “suffered casualties, both killed and wounded.”

He did not give specific numbers, but said the troops had been engaged in combat “a little over a week ago.”

He added that it appeared the North Koreans were being used in infantry roles and that their involvement was so far believed to be limited to Kursk, given that they had not been deployed in Ukraine itself.

Russian troops, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, have been advancing in the eastern regions of the country in recent months.

GUR reported that North Korean casualties occurred on Saturday and Sunday in the Kursk villages of Plekhava, Varabya and Martynavka.

On Monday, President Zelensky posted drone footage on Telegram showing several men hiding behind trees, saying they were North Korean soldiers who had just taken part in an assault on a Ukrainian position.

He also released footage he said showed Russian troops trying to hide the presence of North Koreans on the battlefield by using bonfires to burn the faces of the dead.

“Ukraine’s defense forces and intelligence are working to determine the full extent of real losses of Russian units, including North Korean ones,” he said.

He added that there was “no reason for North Koreans to die in this war.”

The Kremlin referred questions about the deaths of North Koreans to the Russian Defense Ministry, which did not comment.